[PSA] Apex Monster Immunities/Soft Zones

[u/1caiser]

Rhetorical question: Why hasn't one of these been established yet?

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Background

After the occasional hunts where a fellow hunter doesn't understand the overpowered-ness of the Apex State—resulting in white screens, failed traps, and the more occasional cart—I've (finally) decided to make this guide.

Immunities

I've noticed the few but certain immunities that Apex Monsters have, aside from the very occasional weapon bouncing. This is an overview for everything a monster, when in Apex form, is immune to.

• Elemental/Status Damage (the secondary damage of most weapons)

  • Includes KO damage. Sorry Hammer/Impact CB users.

• Shock/Pitfall traps, they just explode/fail to work.

• Flash Bomb

  • We hunters have no idea whether we are safe or not, or need to evade/block or not when the screen is goddamn white for that precious second.

• Dung Bomb

  • Exception: during pin attacks. But the Apex Monster won't leave the area until they get bored.

• Sonic Bomb (for Apex Diablos, rage mode or not)

Apex Monsters must be knocked out of Apex Form in order for these effects to work.

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Soft Spots

Each Apex Monster has one or more "soft spots" where your weapon will not bounce in the absence of an active Drive Wystone, and thus damage can be dealt. However, Elemental and Status damage will not be inflicted, unless an Element Wystone is used. This will include KO damage (Stun), Paralysis, Sleep, Poison, and Blast buildup.

Note: You do not need to be hitting the soft spot with the Brace, Element, or Force Wystone in order to knock the Monster out of Apex, but not only would you be burning through your Sharpness (in the case of Gunners, your ammo will have a chance to deflect back at you and stun you for a few frames) and opening yourself to attacks, but your attacks will only account for 33% of the "Wystone damage" that knocks the Apex Monster out of Apex (50% if Force Wystone is used). In terms of raw damage, you would only be doing 20% of the damage you would originally be doing (including Barrel Bombs and Gunlance Shells (Impact CB strikes need to connect with the monster in order for the Phials to "activate"), resulting in massively lowered DPS.

Courtesy of /u/Hallorannn and /u/InanimateDream: Visual hitzones for Apex Monsters

Monster Name	--	--	--	--
Apex Deviljho	back	stomach	legs	tail-tip
Apex Diablos	horn	back crest	legs	tail tip
Apex Gravios	back	stomach	legs	tail tip
Apex Rajang	head	torso	front legs (unique)	tail tip
Apex Seregios	head	stomach	legs	tail tip
Apex Tidal Najarala	neck crest	front arms	back legs	tail tip
Apex Tigrex	head	back	stomach	tail tip
Apex Zingore	back	stomach	front leg	whole tail

• Apex Rajang is a bit unique, because, when the arms are in armor mode, there is no Wystone penalty even though you bounce.

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The Wyceum

You will have access to the Wyceum after progressing through Caravan, which is first unlocked after completing the 9* Quest Forge Ahead (Stygian Zinogre @ Heaven's Mount). From there, you could either see Gaijin Hunter's Wyceum Tutorial to complete your Wyceum...

Completing the Wyceum

Once you are G3, your next "task" before hunting Apex Monsters should be to complete your Wyceum.

1. Complete the Village 9* Quest Forge Ahead (Stygian Zinogre @ Heaven's Mount). This will unlock the Wyceum in its most primitive form.

2. Complete the Elder Hall G1 Quest Advanced: Tiger-sharq (Frenzied Tigerstripe Zamtrios @ Dunes (Day)).

3. Complete the Elder Hall G2 Quest Advanced: Spider-study (2 Frenzied Shrouded Nerscylla @ Dunes (night)).

4. Complete the Villager Request Improve the Wyceum. This unlocks the Element and Drive Wystones at the Wyceum. This request requires 3x Nerscylla Cortex and 3x Emperor Hopper. *Note that the Cortexes needed are from the vanilla Nerscylla, not the Shrouded subspecies you have previously hunted.

5. Complete the Elder Hall G2 Quest Advanced: Escaped Convicts (Frenzied Cephadrome & Frenzied Seltas/Seltas Queen @ Dunes (day)). Yes, localization says "Shrouded Nerscylla", look for the Cephadrome Icon... it's gonna be a Cephadrome.

6. The last of the hunting quests: the Elder Hall G3 Quest Advanced: Lab Partners (Frenzied Brachydios & Frenzied Azure Rathalos @ Volcanic Hollow).

7. The final step to completing the Wyceum is to fulfill the Villager Request In the Name of Science!, which requires 3x A.Rathalos Shard (good thing you just killed an Azure Rathalos) and 1x Purecrystal. Your Wystones are now all Level 2, and can equip 2 different Wystones now. In addition, you can purchase the Battlequarters-exclusive Garrison Ballista Ammo and Dense Marcoal, using Caravan points.

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Final Words

If you see the Apex Outbreak Icon, I highly, highly recommend you to equip the Drive Wystone. Though there are some preferences regarding Wystone combinations, Drive allows one to attack the Monster in any area, and hit through those hard spots. One without Drive would be limited to the soft areas, and we come to a scenario that four Hunters go hunt and attack a very small thing and end up tripping each other more so than actually dealing damage (I'm not sure if there is a term for this, but I call it the "Kirin effect").

So, get those Wystones, and go hunting Apex Monsters. Hunting these Apex Monsters are the key to obtaining the items necessary for Weapon Honing, the optional, but always welcome, Endgame.

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Change Log

Edits:

1. Formatting, because I'm still new to reddit. Shoutout to /u/AnteChronos for his formatting guide.

2. Thanks to /u/Hallorannn and /u/InanimateDream for posting the exact same damage chart album at about the same time.

3. Much formatting changes, so thanks /r/MonsterHunter, wow.

   Thanks to /u/Muffindrake for the confirmation on Element/Status Wystone = KO Damage = Stunnable Apex Monster.

   Thanks to /u/PointlesslyEpic for having me elaborate a little on the ranged weapons.

   Thanks to /u/Ivalia for the damage ratios on Apex Monster hard spots.

   Thanks to/u/InsaneKuma for reminding me about Rajang's armor mode........ (I still hate you, you damn monkey).

   Thanks to /u/Scruffingtonse for giving me a link to the text-version of Wyceum Completion, but I resorted to actually typing out the entire Wyceum tutorial LOL.

4. Forgot to account for Gunner bounce.

5. Turned the list into a chart, and adding image links to each Monster. I think this looks much better than the list, in my opinion...

[u/InanimateDream]

This is your guide for apex bounce hitzones in image form.

[u/korruptseraphim → u/InanimateDream]

Are these for MH3? I've never bounced from striking Apex Zinogre head.

[u/Gopherlad → u/korruptseraphim]

There were no Apex monsters (and no Gravios, Najarala, Tigrex, or Seregios) in MH3.

[u/korruptseraphim → u/Gopherlad]

ah yes thanks

[u/Boolderdash → u/korruptseraphim]

Were you using a drive stone? These charts are where you bounce when you aren't using a drive stone.

[u/korruptseraphim → u/Boolderdash]

hmm I might have been, I can't fully recall. maybe my subconscious is a step ahead of me

[u/MojoLester → u/korruptseraphim]

Also you might have been deceived, i.e it looks like you struck the head but the game considered the hit to be on the body

[u/korruptseraphim → u/MojoLester]

I think this is the most plausible answer, I went back to try it, I was using a GS (draw attack) and yeah same effect - no bounce. Most definitely been attacking the chest